Net10 Confirms Future Samsung Galaxy S II Launch

Prepaid service provider Net10 has opened up a dedicated page for its version of the Samsung Galaxy S II, last year’s Android flagship phone from Samsung. The phone will be identical to the reference international version of the device, right down to being released with Android Gingerbread instead of being released with the more recent wave of Ice Cream Sandwich updates that carriers have been pushing out.

Of note for the phone is pricing, as Net10 will be charging $399.99 for the phone. While lower than the retail pricing for carrier versions and lower than an unlocked version, the price may be hard to swallow for those wanting a high-end device on Net10, especially one with Gingerbread and no chance of being updated to future Android versions. This also makes the S II a harder sell on Net10 as the provider also offers its own BYOD service for $5 more per month than stablemate StraightTalk Wireless, owing to its wider availability and focus on AT&T service.

What this does mean is that Tracfone is making an effort to offer higher-end devices on its various brands, but with the availability of BYOD services on Net10, StraightTalk  and Simple Mobile which allow current generation devices without needing to wait for branded devices, the draw of the Samsung Galaxy S II will be limited to those looking for a high-end device without the extra configuration work of the BYOD program.

Tracfone previously attempted to offer its first high-end Android smartphone in the LG Optimus 2X earlier this year and would have marked an expanded deal with T-Mobile, but the deal fell through at the last minute owing to disagreements over support costs related to the expanded network access.

Net10 has yet to announce when the Samsung Galaxy S II will be released, as entering multiple ZIP Codes for availability checks on the dedicated page yielded no results. Other Tracfone brands also have yet to confirm availability of the Samsung Galaxy S II, but it’s expected that Straight Talk Wireless will also offer its own variant in the coming weeks along with an expanded Android slate.